Christine Stuart, Jay Dockendorf File Photos
East Rock psychologist Debra Hauser has injected over $43,000 of her own money into her quest for a state representative seat, triggering four supplementary public-financing grants to her rival in the Democratic primary. She’s also found a few dollars to throw into another race, donating $250 to a gubernatorial candidate — Republican Tom Foley.
Hauser, a Democrat, is running to become the state representative from the 96th General Assembly District, comprising parts of Hamden and New Haven.
On June 24, she donated $250 to the Foley campaign. She said it was the entrance fee to a fundraising dinner, which she attended because, she said, she thinks it’s important to understand the opposition.
Hauser’s primary opponent, East Rock Alderman Roland Lemar said he was “shocked” Hauser would give money to a Republican candidate, whose record and agenda are so out of line with Democratic values.
“I went to a fundraiser,” Hauser said. “I like to know what the opposition is doing.”
Hauser said she is not supporting Foley for governor, but she wanted the chance to meet him. “He was smart.”
Hauser said she is supporting Democrat Ned Lamont for governor. Although she respects Dan Malloy, his primary opponent, Lamont offers “fresh ideas” and “new leadership,” she said.
“I’m shocked,” Lemar said of Hauser’s donation to Foley. If she wanted to know more about him, she could have read his website for free, Lemar said.
“He has a very regressive agenda,” Lemar said. “It doesn’t reflect the values we have as a party.”
Specifically, Foley represents a higher tax burden on the middle classes and a greater emphasis on property taxes, Lemar said.
“It’s shocking to me that she would support any Republican in this race,” he said. Even if Hauser said she doesn’t support Foley as a candidate, her money will be used to support his message, Lemar said.
Lemar said he hasn’t made up his mind which of the Democratic candidates he is supporting. Lamont and Malloy are both “strong choices,” he said.
“I just was curious about Tom Foley,” said Hauser, when asked why she didn’t simply read his website. “I’m a psychologist, so I like to meet people and size them up myself.”
Hauser Spends More, Lemar Gets More
Lemar said his campaign qualified on Wednesday for two more supplementary grants under the state’s Citizens Election Program (CEP). His campaign will now have received a total of four supplementary grants of $6,500 each, as a result of Hauser spending so much on her campaign.
Under the the public financing system CEP, in which Lemar is participating and Hauser is not, Lemar qualified for an initial grant of $25,900 after he raised over $5,000 in small contributions. According to CEP regulations, Lemar qualifies for supplementary grants when Hauser’s spending passes certain thresholds. Hauser campaign triggered two of those grants on July 21 and 27.
On July 29, two days after the last trigger, Hauser submitted a filing to the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) indicating that her campaign had crossed another threshold by spending more than 150 percent of the total that Lemar has raised and received. Five days later, on Aug. 3, Hauser’s campaign submitted paperwork stating that it had spent more than 175 percent. That means two more $6,500 grants to Lemar’s campaign.
The two recent grants have been triggered almost entirely by Hauser’s personal spending. The campaign has raised only $110 in outside contributions since July 27, during which time Hauser has donated $15,000 of her own money to the campaign.
That brings her total personal contributions to $30,000. She’s also spent $13,346.21 of her own money on campaign expenses, according to the latest SEEC filing. That filing indicates that her campaign has a negative balance of funds on hand: $-1,357.47 with another $270.24 of campaign expenses still unpaid.
Hauser has in the past defended her campaign spending as an expression of her commitment to the race.
Lemar said he’s not sure his campaign can receive any more supplementary grants from CEP. “It’s well beyond what anyone conceived would be possible.”
At this point, with more money than he knows what to do with, Lemar said he is considering giving some of it back. It wouldn’t be responsible to spend it when his campaign had mapped out a winning strategy using far less money, he said.